The Point: Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes in a year. Eight thousand seven hundred sixty hours. Three hundred sixty-five days. Twelve months in a year… You get where I’m going, that there are only so many hours in a day and once they are gone, they are indeed gone. We started thinking here at Tip of the Spear Ventures and The Javelin Institute, are we productive at how we manage time. Are we really productive? If we are, great! If we aren’t, we’ve got to do something about it! So, in this post we’ll explore the leadership challenge of productivity… Enjoy!

You’re a Productive Leader, Right?

In a recent Leader Centered Coaching session, the leader spoke of just how busy they were. A busy that appeared to have no lightening-up of the load in sight. In a word, our leader was burned-out from the stresses in the workplace that had him being pulled in multiple different directions simultaneously. Having worked in the Executive Education space for 10+ years, I’ve heard this refrain a lot from the leaders that I work with (I’ve also slugged-it out in the leadership trenches as a leader and know all too well what busy looks/feels like!) Multiple priorities, goals set beyond a realistic level, and only twenty-four hours in a day don’t leave a lot of wiggle-room for today’s leader.

However, when I hear this refrain, I always like to see exactly how is it that the leader is spending their time. Not only on the projects, but the productivity therein. Let’s face it, there are some initiatives that produce little output other than being a time-suck event. So, with the leader mentioned previously, we looked at not only where they were, but how they spent their time in comparison to productivity (and profit!) The outcome, the leader was spending an inordinate amount of time on projects that drove little/no return on the time invested.

A Leadership Productivity Tool

Not having enough hours in a day and being busy are a given for today’s leader. A few years ago, I asked a leader “What if there was a tool that would allow you to better focus on your goals? The big goals that would allow you to better focus daily on tasks that worked towards accomplishing those big goals. If we found that tool, we would see leadership productivity increase, goals would be attained, and success would be achieved. We need to find that leadership productivity tool!”

In doing research, I believe I found it! For the last three years I’ve utilized the Best Self Journal (Full transparency – I have no affiliate relationship with Best Self Journal or any of their subsidiaries. I do have an interest in seeing you be the BEST!) The journal was the brainchild of Cathryn and Allen, a husband and wife team that was frustrated over their productivity. Isn’t that the way innovation should occur? Problem is recognized and a solution is produced! The journal helps accomplish in three-quarters of a year what most would perform in an entire year.

Leadership Accountability Agent

But having the leadership productivity tool, be it the Best Self Journal or one of your own choosing, isn’t necessarily a recipe for success. After all, I’ve seen (and I’m certain you have too) action plans that look like Shakespearian works of art. Only these works of art were never implemented. No, I would argue that there needs to be a level of accountability built around the leadership productivity tool of your choosing. The best accountability tool I know is someone from outside your organization that can hold you accountable to not only help in crafting your goals but holding you accountable towards achieving! I would call this leadership accountability agent a coach. If you’re not working with a coach, you’re likely lacking in productivity.

SUMMARY

In this post, we’ve explored the leadership challenge of productivity. With a fixed amount of time in which a leader has to be productive, how can they possibly show good return on where they invest their time. A key is to identify/leverage a productivity tool. In addition, working with a leadership accountability gent (i.e., Executive Coach) is a great way to insure that your goals are attained.

Sam Palazzolo

PS – 2020 will be here before we know it, and I see some disturbing Leadership-trends taking place. If you’d like to receive a white paper I wrote on “5 Ways Your Leadership Will Fail in 2020” CLICK HERE.

PPSS – As we hit the halfway point of 2019, I’m launching my most aggressive initiative to date. It’s a 501(c)(3) structured nonprofit that provides Executive Education and Coaching to allow you to become the BEST leader possible (NOT Good, NOT Better… but BEST!). Launched in July 2019, I’m allowing 10 people in my network to “test-drive” the offering. If you’d like more information, contact me at info@javelininstitute.org.